I Hate Football Players 3 | 18+

Chapter 64: Ellie

The thirty minutes I stood in line at Beecher's, a Seattle-based café, was completely worth the wait when I left with a bag full of their homemade gruyere, cheddar, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese. Charlie and I found this place while we explored the restaurants near the piers our sophomore year and, after just one lunch, we were both hooked.

While Darrius also followed a low-carb diet, Monique and I started a tradition where we carb-loaded during the away games. Seattle was known for its seafood, most of which Logan hated, so I'd planned a salmon macaroni and cheese and cinnamon apples for my part, while Monique set up the 'appetizer carbs,' whatever she decided on for today.

My birth control schedule suggested this week wasn't the best time of the month for a carb-bloat marathon, although we both always enjoyed the post-crash nap afterwards, but we couldn't control the away game schedule. So while my 'cheese with a side of salmon and macaroni' baked in the oven, I peeled and cut up apple after apple until all twenty were in sixteen pieces each, mixed up a bowl of fall spices that included cinnamon into brown sugar, stirred it into the apples, then put them into the oven.

I didn't have much content for a blog idea this week, so I just took pictures of my game day foods then posted them with the recipes attached. Within ten minutes, our apartment smelled better than any cinnamon candle I'd ever smelled and, for Logan's sake, overpowered the cheesy, fishy smell from the macaroni and cheese.

With most of the day still left open before I headed to Monique's apartment for the five pm pre-game show, I assumed Logan's late return meant he slept in tomorrow, then recovered for the next week. I had another tutoring appointment with Kade tomorrow afternoon in the library plus my own homework, studying, and two term papers, so I spent the rest of my free time today in the kitchen, where I cooked and set up our meals for the entire week.

Seattle's rainy fall weather gave me cravings for soups, so I started pots of broccoli cheddar, tomato bisque, and butternut, pumpkin, and acorn squash. Since all of the soups' calorie levels were too low for Logan unless he ate the entire pot, I bagged half of the soups for the freezer and stored the rest in the fridge for me.

For Logan, I went simple and predictable - pot roast and vegetables in the crock pot, chicken parm and steamed broccoli in the InstaPot, two roaster chickens in the oven once it was free, smoothie after smoothie through the blender, and baked a giant package of bacon. I still hadn't gotten used to the amount of food he ate and felt like I cooked for a family instead of one person.

He said it best, he is kinda like my family.

My fingers were tired by the time I'd cut up all the fresh strawberries, peaches, plums, and pears I'd bought and stored them in the fridge. The pads and heels of my sock-covered feet also throbbed with dull aches by the time I slid six days' worth of breakfast burritos, smoothies, and granola bars into the freezer, then a pre-made oatmeal bake in the fridge for tomorrow's breakfast.

"Hope you like it, Logan," I muttered and shut the freezer door. "Not much variety from last week, sorry but I assume you're home pretty late."

As if Logan knew I thought about him, my phone chimed with a text message from him.

Logan: ESPN interviewed me for the pregame show.

me: Sweet! We'll watch it then.

Logan: Rachel Sorenson wants to interview us in 2 weeks.

I stared down at his text with wide, unblinking eyes. Rachel Sorenson was an ESPN College Game Day news correspondent who interviewed players before and during both the season and NFL draft. Occasionally she did more in-depth, personal interviews with players and their families.